Metro News Release

For immediate release: November 24, 2008

SmarTrip® users to gain added benefit when transferring Bus-to-rail and rail-to-bus transfers will be in place January 4

Bus riders transferring to Metrorail will begin to receive a discount on their rail fares if they pay with SmarTrip® beginning Jan. 4, 2009, providing yet another good reason for riders to make the switch from cash fares to SmarTrip®.

The bus-to-rail transfer will reduce rail fares by 50 cents for riders using a SmarTrip® card. It will take effect on the same date that paper transfers are eliminated.

Metrorail riders transferring to buses have long enjoyed discounted fares after leaving the rail system and boarding buses. With the new balanced discount, rail riders transferring to bus will get 50 cents off of their bus fares and bus riders transferring to rail will get 50 cents off of their rail fares. Riders who travel by both bus and rail to and from their destination will save 10 cents a day with the new two-way transfer.

For senior citizens age 65 and older using the Senior SmarTrip® card and transferring from bus to Metrorail, their rail fares will be reduced by 50 cents. For seniors transferring from Metrorail to bus, the 60 cent regular bus fare will decrease by 50 cents to 10 cents.

There are several advantages to using SmarTrip® cards to pay for transit. It eliminates the need for exact change on buses, speeds the boarding process and offers a 10 cent discount on regular Metrobus fares. Also, beginning Jan. 4, 2009, only bus riders paying with SmarTrip® will be able to transfer free from one bus to another for three hours. The transfer period when customers can take advantage of the discounted bus transfer rates will be extended from two hours to three hours. Also, SmarTrip® cards can be loaded with up to $300 in value. If a rider registers his or her SmarTrip® card and subsequently loses it, the value on the card at the time it is reported lost will be replaced when a new SmarTrip® card is purchased.

In addition to Metrorail and Metrobus, passengers can use SmarTrip® to pay for travel on regional bus systems including ART, CUE, DASH, Ride On, Fairfax Connector, Loudoun County Transit, PRTC, The Bus and the DC- Circulator, and for parking at Metro parking facilities.

SmarTrip® can be purchased on Metro's Web site by mail, at Metro sales offices at Metro Center, Anacostia, the Pentagon and Metro headquarters, at the Northern, Western, Landover, Royal Street and Four Mile Run Metrobus divisions, from vending machines at Metrorail stations that have parking facilities, at regional transit stores and select Giant stores.